Top 40: Alex Boland
Contributed - Jul 15, 2020 - People in Business

Photo: Contributed

Okanagan Edge and the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce are partnering to showcase some of the region’s most exciting entrepreneurs through the “Top 40 Under 40” program.

Sponsored by BDO, the “Top 40 Under 40” recognizes high-achieving professionals in our community and showcases their accomplishments. This marks the sixth year the chamber has conducted a “Top 40” showcase. Honourees will be featured throughout the year on Okanagan Edge.

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Alex graduated from UBC Law in 2012 and after a year of clerking with the B.C. Supreme Court he joined Farris Vaugh Willis & Murphy LLP in Vancouver. When Alex’s colleague Leisha Murphy decided to open her own law firm, Connect Family Law, he jumped at the chance to join her as their views on family law firmly aligned. Connect believes family law is not just a legal dispute between two people, it’s a life-changing event, and they treat it as such. The philosophy behind Connect Law is looking at the whole person, and the whole picture, to find solutions suited to the unique needs of every family.

Shortly after Alex started his own family, the opportunity to join the Kelowna Office of Connect came up and they jumped at the chance again. Alex was attracted to the lifestyle Kelowna offered, with hiking and skiing nearby, a change in seasons and not to mention the short commute to work. Alex and his wife knew it was the perfect mix of urban and the great outdoors and that it would be a perfect place to raise their family, which has now grown to two children.

Family law is incredibly important to Alex, he tries to help people through a very difficult time by offering excellent representation, compassion and empathy, and by ensuring they have the support networks in place to help them through the process. When Alex first joined the Kelowna office of Connect Family Law, he was the second lawyer at the firm. Connect has now have grown to three full-time lawyers and they expect to continue growing. As the senior lawyer, Alex is looked upon to provide guidance and mentorship to the other lawyers and to the support staff. Despite having a busy practice, Alex always makes time for the other lawyers when they have questions or want to bounce ideas off him. He also helps plan out-of-office events to ensure the team grows strong relationships on a personal level. While most decisions in the office are made communally, Alex often leads the discussion regarding what organizations they should support in the community and what events they attend to ensure they are part of the community they are working in.

A large part of Connect Family Law’s philosophy is believing in collaborative solutions, solutions that aren’t just about legal rights and obligations, but also look at the mental health and welfare of everyone involved, including spouses and children. In support of that philosophy, Alex sits on the board of the Okanagan Collaborative Family Law group, a community of professionals in a variety of professions, including lawyers, financial planners and counsellors, who work together towards making separation and divorce as collaborative, and stress-free, as possible.

Alex spends approximately 50 hours a year doing pro bono work, largely representing people who are about to lose their children, or people who are desperately in need of a lawyer but don’t qualify for legal aid. In the case of Nadim v. Hakim, 2018 BCSC 1999, Mr. Justice Myers expressly thanked Alex in his written reasons for taking on the case, assisting the respondent when he could not afford legal counsel, and for assisting the court in understanding the issues. “The only way the case was comprehensible was through [Mr. Boland’s] efforts and he acted with total fairness [to the applicant],” Justice Myers wrote.

Alex received his Juris Doctor from the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia in 2012 after receiving a BA in political science, also from UBC. During law school he won 11 different awards, including awards for excellence in advocacy, community involvement and outstanding achievement (highest mark) in various courses. After law school Alex was chosen to be a law clerk with the B.C. Supreme Court, a position considered to be one of the most prestigious obtainable by a recent law graduate.

In 2019 Alex was named one of the top three best-rated divorce lawyers in Kelowna by ThreeBestRated.ca which uses a 50-point inspection list, including reviews, and reputation to choose its top three.

Q&A with Alex Boland

How are you approaching the current situation? 

With cautious optimism. COVID-19 has disrupted my industry (family law) as much as it has disrupted any other. But we are seeing a lot of positive change, too. The courts have adopted some new and innovative policies, and we are hurtling towards a paperless office.
So I am trying to look at this as a moment to experiment with new things and to find new opportunities in a difficult situation.

Where are you now? 

I am working from home three days a week and out of the office two days per week. After months of driving me to distraction, my daughter is back in daycare and this has made a spectacular improvement in my productivity. Although there are a lot of perks of working from home, the time away has made me appreciate the focus I can achieve when I’m in a space designed for work.

Favorite Quote 

“It is difficult to find happiness within oneself, but it is impossible to find it anywhere else.” 

― Arthur Schopenhauer 


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